The CD finally starts playing, and a new song called 'Good Morning', with ethereal gospel backing vocals, emerges from the speakers - but the sound is dreadfully tinny. 'What's up with the bass?' complains Kanye, as someone tries to adjust the levels. Outside, the traffic slows again and an irate Kanye gestures at the taxi behind carrying the record company PR and OMM's photographer: 'I bet that cab has a better system, man.' I presume he's joking, but as we turn onto the slip road to the Bay Area Freeway, he leans forward and shouts, 'Yo, stop the truck!'
Seconds later, I find myself on the side of the freeway with Kanye as the traffic whistles by. 'Damn! Welcome to my life, man,' he exhales as he jumps in the passenger seat besides a startled taxi driver and starts fiddling with the CD player.
When he finally gets it working, Kanye whacks the volume up full so the speakers are almost popping. Impressively, the silver-haired taxi driver, at least 65 and immaculately presented in full suit and white gloves, doesn't flinch once. The next track is called 'Stronger' and starts with an instantly recognisable Daft Punk sample, the vocodered 'Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger' from their 2001 album Discovery. 'You know that sample, right?' shouts Kanye over the music. He starts to bounce back and forth so violently his seat begins to rock, before he turns the volume down slightly to explain that he hasn't recorded all the vocals yet. 'I just finished this verse on the plane over yesterday,' he says, before pushing it back up and turning round to rap, full throttle, into my face:
'Let's get lost tonight/
You can be my black Kate Moss tonight/
Play secretary on the boss tonight/
And y'all don't give a fuck what they all say, right?'
It's difficult to know where to look. Unless you're the taxi driver, whose eyes stay fixed straight ahead. Even through the distorted speakers, the track does sounds pretty incredible.
'Damn, they don't make 'em like this any more,' Kanye continues rapping in my face: ' ...bow in the presence of greatness.'
